Change proposed in critical habit for lynx in US

SEATTLE - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a revision in the critical habitat designation for a species of lynx listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The proposal would designate more than 41,000 square miles as critical habitat within the states of Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, Washington and Wyoming for the Canada lynx.

As part of this proposal, federal officials are considering excluding more than 1,900 square miles of tribal lands within the states of Maine, Montana and Washington.

The new critical habitat adds some land as well, including some private timber lands in northern Maine, as well as Bureau of Land Management and National Park Service land in northeastern Wyoming.

The lynx have been protected since 2000. The Center for Biological Diversity is applauding the Fish and Wildlife proposal, saying the extra space could help the rare wildcat whose population has been reduced by trapping and habitat loss.

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